Building & Maintaining a Positive Relationship With Your Child Care Provider
Your work isn't over just because you've found the appropriate childcare setting for your child. Once you have
enrolled your child in a childcare program, you will want to make sure that it will be a positive and rewarding
experience for everyone involved. An effective childcare partnership benefits the parent, the childcare
provider, and the child. Your child's providers are counting on you to keep up your end of the bargain; they
keep your child smiling, safe, healthy, and happy while you're at work, and you agree not to take advantage of
them. Through good communication and by working together, you and your child’s provider can help to
ensure that your child receives the best start to his or her life. There are several steps you can take, as a parent,
to build a successful partnership with your child’s provider. You can show appreciation for your childcare
provider, their home, and their business by being thoughtful and considerate in the following ways.
§ Be sure you read and understand the childcare programs policies/procedures and requirements
before you enroll your child. These rules are put in place to help all involved succeed. Do your best to
abide by the policies and procedures to which you have agreed.
§ Turn in all necessary paperwork. Even before your child attends his first day of child care you'll need to
submit a number of documents, such as immunization records and medical health release forms. State law
mandates that all child care programs comply with this law, so help your childcare provider out and hand
in forms on time. During the duration of the program, you'll need to sign permission slips authorizing
providers to give your child medications, such as antibiotics for an ear infection, etc. Sign these right away
and turn them in.
§ Let your provider know as much as possible about your child. They need to know what words your
child uses to ask for things, their nap, eating, and toilet habits, their likes and dislikes, and any information
about their general development. A quality provider will take your child's unique characteristics into
consideration as they care for him or her.
§ Develop a rapport. This starts with a very simple but genuine, "Good morning. How was your weekend?
Your new haircut is adorable." Yes, technically you're a client paying for a service, but childcare is much
more than a business relationship. You want all the pleasantries that should come along with someone
watching your child; the stuff money can't buy. Frequent, informal communication between you and your
child's provider are an important part of building a good relationship. Taking a few moments to talk briefly
with your child’s provider when you drop-off and pick-up your child, can keep the lines of communication
open and can make sharing information about your child a matter of routine. Should concerns arise; a good
relationship can make it easier to arrive at a solution.
§ Bring up any problems or concerns immediately with the childcare provider. Handling problems with
a childcare provider; whether in daycare, your home or elsewhere, requires diplomacy, maturity, and
directness. After all, this person is watching your child, so you want your relationship to be the best it can
be. Talk to your child’s provider. Take a non-confrontational approach, looking to come up with a solution
to a problem together. Your relationship with your childcare provider is important, so communicate clearly
from the start. Discuss everything that comes to mind. You won't want to deal with any...
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